Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was announced by Activision and Infinity Ward. The annual Call of Duty title is slated to be released on Friday, October 23, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC.
Today's announcement claims that Modern Warfare 4 "pushes the series into darker and more dangerous territory, bringing long-running storylines to a powerful and emotional breaking point." Note that they did not dare say "conclusion" there, but "breaking point." Need to leave that door open for more in the future, right?
This year's campaign will bring players to Korea where there will be plenty of trench warfare. It will also take you to New York for some close-quarters combat, then to Paris for "high-octane chases," but also Mumbai for SAS night raids. There might even be other locations featured in the game, but that'll be for you to find out.
Fight as Private Park, a young South Korean soldier facing live combat for the first time alongside his squad. What begins as a routine patrol descends into chaos when North Korea launches a full-scale invasion, forcing Park and his unit into a desperate fight through collapsing cities and counteroffensives.
This is a new setting for the franchise, grounded in the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for and built with attention to the culture, history, and military detail of the region. The conflict in Korea becomes the catalyst for a broader war.
This is a new setting for the franchise, grounded in the military authenticity Modern Warfare is known for and built with attention to the culture, history, and military detail of the region. The conflict in Korea becomes the catalyst for a broader war.
Beyond the front lines, operator-turned-outlaw Captain Price works outside the system he once served. A hunt for revenge draws Price toward a weapon powerful enough to shift the balance of power, setting in motion a conflict far greater than he ever anticipated. Forced into uneasy alliances and illicit operations, Price is pulled deeper into consequences he can no longer escape.
They say that this year's multiplayer will deliver "grounded, precise combat where fluid movement, player choice, and greater control define every engagement." They go on to mention some very specific changes they're making for this multiplayer, including the complete removal of weapon bloom.
For Modern Warfare 4, a new weapon-first technology stack unifies precision aiming, physical handling, realistic audio propagation, enhanced visibility, and smarter combat perception into the most authentic Modern Warfare gunplay yet. Bullet trajectory, weapon motion, Operator stance, camera, audio, FOV, and target visibility all line up in one highly tuned combat fidelity system. The promise is simple: no bloom, no guesswork, and no doubt. Every shot tells the truth.
- Bloom has been removed, making hipfire shots feel more direct, predictable, and connected to where the weapon is pointed.
- Recoil, convergence, and weapon handling have been rebuilt to more directly reflect player input.
- Depth of field and visual effects have been refined to improve enemy visibility without sacrificing authenticity.
- Weapons respond more naturally to player movement, stance changes, and the environment, creating more consistent behavior in every engagement.
Does this mean no wall running? No back sprint? That all remains to be seen right now.
Modern Warfare 4 will launch with a "set of grounded, visual distinct environments" throughout 12 core launch maps. There's that "grounded" word again.
There will also be "Kill Block," which is a live-fire training facility built for elite operators that will give players "a fresh gameplay experience with every new round."
Taking place inside the Westbridge Training Facility, Kill Block introduces a dynamic new Multiplayer battleground where the combat space reconfigures between rounds, reshaping sightlines, routes, and cover to keep players adapting in real time. Shaped from a set of purpose-built modular sections capable of creating more than 500 distinct configurations, each match creates its own combat rhythm and tactical challenges. Expect more sections and even more configurations during Modern Warfare 4’s live seasons.
Kill Block supports expanded Gunfight formats, including 3v3 and 10v10 experiences, with future support planned for more core Multiplayer modes. Designed for high-intensity play, Kill Block forces players to think quickly, fight for control, and adjust engagement tactics every round.
Kill Block supports expanded Gunfight formats, including 3v3 and 10v10 experiences, with future support planned for more core Multiplayer modes. Designed for high-intensity play, Kill Block forces players to think quickly, fight for control, and adjust engagement tactics every round.
A deeper look at the multiplayer is coming soon via a "From the Ward" video series, recap blogs, and more. The DMZ will get a special first look on June 7.
Infinity Ward and Activision made some special notes about the Switch 2 and PC releases as part of today's announcement:
A Focus on PC
Modern Warfare 4 is built with a renewed focus on the PC community, with Infinity Ward and Beenox partnering to give players more ways to tune performance, visual fidelity, responsiveness, and customization on PC.
Expanding to Nintendo Switch 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the Modern Warfare series to Nintendo players for the first time in more than a decade.
Modern Warfare 4 is built with a renewed focus on the PC community, with Infinity Ward and Beenox partnering to give players more ways to tune performance, visual fidelity, responsiveness, and customization on PC.
- PC-specific performance optimizations are designed to support a wide range of hardware, from players prioritizing high frame rates to those pushing maximum visual fidelity.
- Multiple upscaling and frame generation options give PC players more ways to balance image quality, performance, and responsiveness.
- Expanded graphics options give players more control over how the game looks, performs, and feels.
- For players who want to push visual fidelity, high-end PC options include DLSS 4.5 support, expanded real-time ray tracing across Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ, improved performance across ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, shadows, and volumetrics, and higher-fidelity VFX and volumetric settings.
- Competitive-focused settings help players prioritize high frame rates and responsiveness in the moment-to-moment fight.
- You can digitally prepurchase Modern Warfare 4 now on PC via Battle.net, Steam, or XBOX on PC (XBOX Play Anywhere).
Expanding to Nintendo Switch 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is coming to Nintendo Switch 2, bringing the Modern Warfare series to Nintendo players for the first time in more than a decade.
- Infinity Ward, in partnership with Digital Legends, is developing Modern Warfare 4 natively for Nintendo Switch 2.
- More details on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 for Nintendo Switch 2, including when players can pre-order, will be shared later this summer.
There will be an open beta for Modern Warfare 4 offered at some point. Details on that will also be shared in the future.
